


107 Days

by tscSNK (tsc)



Series: #ereriweek2015 [1]
Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Ereri Week, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-06-01
Updated: 2015-06-01
Packaged: 2018-04-02 08:38:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,591
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4053667
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tsc/pseuds/tscSNK
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It had been one hundred and seven days since it started.</p>
            </blockquote>





	107 Days

**Author's Note:**

> ereri week day one: pining.

The dark, cold winter had finally passed into a warm, breezy spring.  The trees were once again livening up the streets.  The students from the nearby campus continued to come by the corner café, but began to sit outside.  These were all things Levi noticed.  That, and it had been one hundred and seven days.

He started noticing it in the middle of the winter, so it’s hard to say how many days before that it had been happening.

A man, or rather, a boy began coming into the café religiously.  He’d walk up to the counter, order an Americano and sit by himself in the far corner by the window.

Levi had never talked to the boy, aside from taking his order.  From the small exchanges every day, he had learned that the boy was definitely not from around here by his accent, and he knew that he wanted to hear more.

But he couldn’t find a way to just walk up and start conversation, as he always looked busy.

The boy sat at the table every day with a pencil in his hand, and one of the days Levi walked by as he was doing his routine wipe down of empty tables, he had noticed the drawings.  Oh, how he wanted to see them up close, but he also didn’t want to be rude.  So, he continued his cleaning and moved back to behind the counter, glancing over at the mysterious boy every so often.

It had been one hundred and seven days of this. Levi’s coworkers had been well aware of his feelings for the mysterious boy.  They’d caught him multiple times staring at the corner table, and jumping up every time the bell at the door would ring around three o’clock in the afternoon.  By the fiftieth day or so, they started to egg him on.

“You should talk to him!”  Hanji cried.

“I don’t think he’s going to bite, Levi.” Petra added.

“He’s rather handsome, you should definitely get to know him.”  Erwin suggested with a shrug, to which Levi retorted.

“Erwin, you don’t even work here.”

Levi continued to ignore them. He didn’t want to bother the boy in the corner, for he was just a guy that works at the café.

But on that fated one hundred and seventh day, Levi noticed that the boy never came.  And he frowned when he still hadn’t shown up half an hour until closing time.

“Has he never not come before?” He asked quietly, mostly to himself. Petra was nearby and heard the question.

“Are you worried?”

“Of course not.  Don’t be silly.”

Levi was somewhat worried.  The two closed together that night.  They wiped down the tables and stacked the chairs. They mopped the floors and cleaned the coffee machines.  They cleaned the sandwich bar and the bar fridge, and as they were counting the money there was a quiet knock at the door.

And the sight startled Levi beyond belief.

“You should answer that.”  Petra mumbled quietly as she continued to count out their tips for the day.

Shaky legs carried Levi across the store to the locked front door.  Through the glass door, the boy stood in a white dress shirt, green hoodie, and dark skinny jeans that cut off just past his knee.  Levi figured he’d been running as he breathed heavily.  His cheeks were flushed pink and his hands were behind his back, and it felt like forever until the door was unlocked and pulled open.

“We already closed.”  Levi said, unsure of why the boy was even at the café.

“I know, I’m sorry.”  The boy stated, accent thick.  There was a brief pause as he continued to catch his breath. “I am so out of shape, sorry.” He added, moving his hand over his face and through his soft looking brown hair.

Levi stepped back a bit.  “If that’s all then…” he trailed off, slightly sad he couldn’t think of any other way to keep the conversation going.  However, the boy shook his head.

“No, wait.  I really do have, uh, good reason to be here.”  He stated slowly, as if he were trying to think of the words. And to be fair, he probably was.

“What is it?”  Levi asked, cocking his head to the side.

The boy looked past Levi to see Petra still standing at the counter and shook his head.  “Come out here.”

Levi nodded slowly, confused. What was it that he didn’t want Petra to hear?

Did he like Petra?  Had he spent the last few months pining after a boy that he had zero chance with?  While the chances were already slim to none to start off with, him liking Petra moved that even lower.

Levi let the door click shut behind him and the boy in front of him, who was much taller than he initially realized, let out a breath.

“Okay.”  He started, seemingly more nervous than he was.  His hands were still behind his back.  “Ah, _scheisse_ , my name is Eren, by the way.”  The boy finally managed to get out.

Levi nodded slowly; glad he had a name now to associate with the mysterious boy.

“Levi.”  He offered, leaning back against the door.  “Why are you so nervous?”  He asked before he could stop himself.  He was nervous himself, though he was keeping himself together a bit better than Eren.

Eren’s bright eyes widened at that and he bit the inside of his lip.  “Well, you see…” he trailed off, once again looking as though he was searching for the correct words. “I have something for you.”

It took Levi a few moments to compute what he had said. “Excuse me?”

Eren sighed quietly and pulled one of his hands from behind his back.  On it was a drawing of, at first glance, the café.  He had included all the intricate details of the wallpaper, the food in the glass case and the flowerpots on the counter.  It was then that Levi noticed in the center of the picture was himself, standing behind the counter.  Eren had caught him in a moment, leaning forward with his chin resting on his hands with a thoughtful look on his face.

Levi could feel his cheeks flush red, because he then noticed that he was the only one in the picture. He had left out his coworkers and the customers that were sure to have been in the coffee shop. Before he could say anything, Eren started to speak.

“It took me so long to get it right. When I first came into the café, I was actually doing homework.  I was drawing flowers and scenery like I was supposed to.  But then…” there was a pause in his words before he started speaking again.  “But then I noticed you. I noticed you before, of course, because you always gave me coffee, but then I _really_ noticed you. I really wanted to draw you.”

The words spilling from Eren’s lips were sinking into Levi’s brain slowly. 

“I started doing that.  It was basic sketches at first.  I wanted to get your features right, but then I started this piece. I usually paint my work, but I also really wanted to show you before. I actually finished it a few weeks ago, but I wasn’t confident in English to explain.  Today, I woke up and I knew I could do it.  One thing after another kept happening and I thought I wasn’t going to make it here…”

Levi was speechless as he finally looked up at the boy, still clutching the drawing in his hands.

“I really do like it.  A lot.  No one has ever drawn me.”

“That you know.”  Eren replied with the faintest of smiles on his face. “In saying that…” the boy finally pulled his other arm from behind his back, a single rose in his hand.

Levi’s eyes widened even further. What was going on? Didn’t he like Petra?

“I know this is very forward, and out of the blue.” Eren stated quietly. “When I moved here in September I knew not much English and right now I only want to get this right. I studied a lot the last couple months. If I knew the language this would have happened already.”

Levi frowned at that.  “What are you talking about?”

Eren nervously bit the inside of his lip again and looked to the pavement.  He took a deep breath and let it out slowly before looking back at Levi, determination all over his face.

“I would like to take you out.”

Levi’s knees went weak and he was glad for the door still pressed up against his back.  Was this real life?

“And by take you out, I mean on a date. I don’t want to jump you or anything. I mean, unless you are into that in which case—“

“Eren.” 

“Hm?”

“Do you know how long I’ve been wanting to talk to you, but I haven’t been able to?  I never wanted to bother you.  I saw you drawing at your corner table, and I never wanted to disturb you. It kind of made my day every day to see you walk through the door and today; honestly, I was kind of let down at not seeing you make the bells jingle.  And now all of this…”

“You should have disturbed me. I would not have minded.”

“And of course you can take me out…” Levi said quietly, finally taking the rose out of the boy’s hand.

**Author's Note:**

> [tumblr!](http://tscwrites.tumblr.com)


End file.
